It's not really a competition, but Las Cruces raises more money for the March of Dimes than Albuquerque. That's the most money raised in the whole state.

"It was the largest, dollar-wise," said Becky Horner, Southern New Mexico division director for March of Dimes, about last year's March for Babies. "Albuquerque (March of Dimes) is a little similar in size, but we raised a little more than them."

Las Cruces raised $232,000 and had about 1,200 walkers last year. They're looking to do even better this year.

March for Babies 2013 will be held April 27 starting and finishing at Young Park, 1905 Nevada Ave. The 7.5-mile course goes east to the Triviz multi-use path, west on University Avenue, south on El Paseo Road, then onto Main Street and east on Lohman Avenue to the finish line. Along the way will be seven water stations and check points with snacks and giveaways. There's also going to be a shorter route and about five courtesy vehicles to help walkers who can't, or don't want to, walk the whole course.

Registration is at 7:30 a.m. with the walk at 8 a.m. and teams can sign up until that time to participate. Teams are not obligated to donate a specific minimum amount, they just have to give what ever they can to this cause, Horner said.

There are perks, of course. If a team donates $200 dollars, they get a free T-shirt; if they donate $300 or more, they get gift cards to Macy's and K-Mart. If they raise $75 online within seven days, they are entered to win a Kindle.

March for Babies is the largest fundraiser for March of Dimes, a 75-year-old national nonprofit, founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, dedicated to funding research that fights premature birth and birth defects. The walk draws more than seven million walkers each year and has raised $2 billion over the last 40 years.

In the United States, more than half a million babies are born prematurely each year — that's one in eight births.

Premature birth is the leading cause of neonatal death and half of all premature births are unexplained.

The families

The Las Cruces March for Babies teams come from local businesses and families.

"Those usually are families who form a team in honor of a child who was born early or with birth defects," Horner said.
The Johnsons, Nicole and Wylie, will walk the course in honor of their daughter, Mia, 8, and son David, 6, who were both born premature.

"With Mia, it was one of the scariest things I ever went through," Nicole Johnson said. "I felt it was my fault that she was born early."

Mia was born 2-1/2 months early and had to spend a lot of time in the neonatal intensive care unit. Her brother was born a month early and had fewer complications. The technology used to help save these children is a result of the research funded by the March of Dimes, Johnson said.

The family has been walking for babies and giving back for the last eight years.

"It's an awesome feeling," Johnson said. "I'm really proud to live in a community like Las Cruces where so many people get involved in stuff like March of Dimes ... I'd like to encourage more people to come out and join us and I'd like to extend my gratitude to the community for all of their support."

Andi Murphy can be reached at 575-541-5453; follow Andi on Twitter @andimurphy.

March for Babies

The largest fundraiser for the March of Dimes, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to funding research that fights premature birth and birth defects

Where: Young Park, 1905 Nevada Ave.

When: Registration is at 7:30 a.m. April 27

How much: As much as you can donate to help fight premature birth and birth defects with the March of Dimes

Info: marchofdimes.com, Southern New Mexico division of March of Dimes, 575-523-2627

Fundraisers for babies

March of Dimes Golf Tournament

Where: Sonoma Ranch Golf Course, 1274 Golf Club Road

When: April 4

How much: $125 for individual entry and $400 for a team of four

Info: Stephanie Hargrove, 575-373-1120

Fourth annual March of Dimes Volleyball tournament

Presented by MECA Therapes and the NMSU chapter of the National Speech-Language and Hearing Association

Where: Intramural fields at NMSU

When: Registration is 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. April 13 with the games starting at 9 a.m.